First of all, I don't think the show is as bad as everyone makes it out to be. I'll admit the storylines are absolutely terrible, but the jokes themselves aren't much worse than the first few seasons. I mean they're worse... but there is still a ton of good stuff in there.
There have been many problems with the last few seasons, and I think most of it is the result of stuff happening outside of The Office... Notably Ed Helms and Craig Robinson getting some big movies and becoming names themselves. It seems like after they found success outside, the writers decided to give them more prominent roles in the show, and it really threw off the balance.
Andy should never have been manager. When Michael left it made sense to not have Jim or Dwight take over his position because it would just be weird to have them acting in a superior role within the office and the same thing goes for Andy, except he's also kinda dumb.
The romance between Andy and Erin is honestly painful to watch and it really makes me hate the show. I don't want to rant, so I'll just say that Erin is a really dumb character and the only one I can honestly say I would prefer the show without.
Darryl isn't that bad on his own, but his arcs are really stupid and unfunny. I think he was better as a minor character.
There is some good in the newer stuff though, mostly in the form on James Spader. I don't know what the consensus is on Robert California, but I think he was the best part of the newest season. All the characters on the show are a little messed up, but I think Robert has just the right amount of normal mixed in with his crazy to create a great character.
...I just realized that I'm far too bored to continue writing this, so I'll just add that Toby was by far the funniest in season 8 and it was really weird that they axed Cathy without saying anything about it.
The show had no direction all season; it just wandered aimlessly from one episode to the next, and after the first few episodes, I watched mainly out of obligation. You're right, I don't think most of these side characters (Erin, Darryl) have done well as mains. The show was all about Michael, Dwight, Jim, and Pam. Jim and Pam have been way less interesting ever since they got married (at least Jim has Dwight; there is literally no point to Pam's character anymore, seriously what did Pam do all season aside from serve as the butt of a few fat jokes), and Michael is gone, which leaves Dwight much of nothing.
They could have actually made the Cathy storyline dramatic but wrote her off between episodes and kept Jim/Pam as the perfect boring couple. I thought the new characters (Robert, Nellie) sucked and most of the longtime minor guys have become lazy caricatures of their old selves. They've all just gotten less likable. At least it's looking clear like next season will be the last, so hopefully the writers will put some effort into wrapping everything up.
Also, best moments from this season were EASILY Jim and Dwight's interactions in Florida (Dwight unknowingly saving Jim from Cathy's advances, Jim saving Dwight's job, Jim agreeing to do Ryan's presentation). Those moments were old school Office.
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Dwight was the only thing holding this season together (I guess to a lesser extent, Jim too, but much lesser). Everything else has been painful in one way or another.
But I may be biased cause everything else around it is amazing. Parks is the best show on tv right now to me, and community and 30 rock are hilarious as well.
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Although I still don't thinks it's that bad and will likely continue watching it, I also haven't enjoyed it as much the last 3 or 4 seasons. And I definitely like it less without Steve Carell.
I like James Spader a lot but Robert California is no Michael Scott.
And his character and Catherine Tate's are too similar IMO.
Erin is absolutely terrible. Jim and Pam tension was one of the best parts of the show, but that disappeared when they finally got together. That didn't necessarily doom the show, but the attempts to recreate it with Andy and Erin absolutely did not work.
I love Robert California, I'm sad to see him go but I'm also glad that he's not a full time cast member, I think the recurring screen time he gets has been absolutely the perfect amount of screen time for him.
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The batman villians all seem to be one big joke that batman refuses to laugh at - SantaRPG
From: PartOfYourWorld | #002 Jim agreeing to do Ryan's presentation
This was the absolute best scene of the season IMO.
They really had NO clue what to do with Darryl after they made him a main character. His subplot with Val is just the most nondescript bland waste of time storyline in the show's history.
For as bad as all the stuff having to do with Andy/Erin/Robert/Nellie was, I do think the stuff with Dwight/Angela/Oscar/The Senator was pretty good. It was so off-and-on though.
The whole attempt to spice up Jim and Pam's relationship by having someone else come on to one of them didn't work when Pam was at art school and it doesn't work now. Their story arc was done after the wedding in Season Six, to the point where they may as well have written them off the show too after that season and given them a happily ever after.
Someone on the TV Board said that if they had condensed the best of Season Six (the wedding, the childbirth) with the Michael Scott farewell arc at the end of Season Seven into one season, they could have ended the show on six incredibly strong seasons and been done with it, and I think that's a great point.
I do hope they know going into their last season that it IS the last season so that they can start crafting the end of the show. I still sincerely hope that the show ends the way the UK one did, in that the final two episodes took place AFTER the documentary being filmed all this time aired in their universe, and that allowed for some really awesome stuff.
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I agree about 90% with thunder. I personally feel the series has had two good stopping points (Jim and Pam's wedding and Michael's quitting), but they keep it going for no great reason. A lot of the one-off jokes are good (mostly involving Dwight and Kevin), but there is no story to keep anyone invested. Erin was funny at first but her gimmick grew stale and I care more about Angela and the senator's relationship than her and Andy's, and that's supposed to be the central story? I guess Dwight being Angela's baby daddy could be interesting, but it hasn't been brought up enough (I haven't watched the last few weeks), so there's no direction. I like Robert California, but he really makes no sense. They very sloppily made him CEO of the company, yet he cares so much about their one little branch. Even if Jo wasn't interested in the part anymore, I don't see why the corporate level of the company needs to have much, if any presence in the show and why James Spader couldn't have just been the new manager and Andy could remain as an awful salesman. Nellie is also terrible, which makes me sad since I Dr. Who made me love Catherine Tate. I've always said that it's pretty obvious when a show is running low on ideas when they introduce new characters. Having Andy and Karren come in wasn't so bad, but in the past couple of seasons we've gotten Gabe, Erin, Robert, Nellie, and the new warehouse chick ( I can never remember her name) as well as giving Darryl a much larger, yet much less interesting role. The show should just end so that Rainn Wilson can do more stuff like Super. I'll probably continue to watch the show until it ends unless Dwight does literally nothing for a whole season, but he's really the only interesting main element in the show these days.
From: MarvelousGerbil | #014 I personally feel the series has had two good stopping points (Jim and Pam's wedding and Michael's quitting), but they keep it going for no great reason.
NBC is desperate
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Thank you, Eddie Guerrero. http://www.wwe.com/f/styles/photo_large/public/photo/image/2012/04/33_Moscow_04112012jg_02128.jpg